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Fluctuating asymmetry in molar dimensions and discrete morphological traits in Pima Indians
Author(s) -
Noss John F.,
Scott G. Richard,
Potter Rosario H. Yap,
Dahlberg Albert A.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
american journal of physical anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1096-8644
pISSN - 0002-9483
DOI - 10.1002/ajpa.1330610406
Subject(s) - fluctuating asymmetry , asymmetry , molar , biology , kurtosis , trait , evolutionary biology , skewness , crown (dentistry) , orthodontics , mathematics , statistics , paleontology , medicine , physics , quantum mechanics , computer science , programming language
Asymmetry in mesiodistal and buccolingual crown diameters and in eight morphologic crown traits of permanent first and second molars was analyzed in a large Pima Indian sample. Analysis of antimeric differences indicates no consistent evidence for directional asymmetry in Pima molars for either dimensions or morphologic traits. Second molars show greater degrees of metric and morphologic asymmetry than first molars. There is no conclusive evidence for either sex differences in magnitude of asymmetry or relationships between tooth size and morphologic asymmetry. Nonparametric correlations computed between asymmetry in crown dimensions and morphological traits show no significant interaction except where morphological trait development affected crown measurements. The distributions of antimeric differences for dimensional and morphologic traits demonstrate significant leptokurtic deviations from normality. This indicates fluctuating asymmetry in Pima Indians may result from several different sources of developmental variation.